Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-08-24
DAILY HERALD.
HOT NIGHTS IN HOT PLACES.
How the People in the Crowded
nistrictS EYeguiIe the Time.


Ifsrom the New York Evening Sun.
The mercury in the thermometer
was still lowering in the vicinity OF
the nineties last evening when an
Euening Sun reporter started out to
see how the people in the densely
crowded districts of Mott, Pell
Baxter and Bayard streets and Null
berry Bend spend their time and
manage to breathe on fetid night.
The mes; interest, n thoroughf;
was Mulberry Bend. Thousands oi
people, chattering in musical Italian,
blocked the street. Women selling
ancient watermelons, more women
vending brunette bread, and men
retailing cognac at 5 cents per pony
peopled the streets.
There i. one five-story building Oh
Mulberry Bend which pays its pro
prietor higher income than any tene
ment in New York. If you go to the
rear of that structure on a hot night
YOU will get a fair idea Of life in crowd
ed New York in the summer time.
Last night slender young Italian in
gray clothes was playing an accordion
in the rear of this block. Hundreds
If people clustered on the balconies
that fringe the rear of each story OF
the tall builIing.
A great crowd gathered in the
court behind the tenement, where the
ACCORDION fiend was playing. He
perpetrated the "The Letter That was
Never Sent" and other atrocities, and
Al LII H,l H., hnt lnnEnd
toward the crowded balconies, and
said something which sounded like
''Dammi un soldo! Non via parato, "
which a boy in the crowd translated
rs: "Give me penny. Don't be
afraid ty give me penny"
He held his hat high in the air and
applealed to the people on the balco-
MES 30 urgently that Il shower OF pen
MES came down to him. Then he
manifested his gratitude by seizing
his accordion and playing another
tune
A hundred children of assorted
sizes were in the rear of the block land
when the musician chrrned his accor-
deon with wild waltz two Italian boys
clisped and whirled about the court
in giddy but graceful waltz. Then
two girls engaged in the same diver
sion.
The place was crowded with women
and children. Lines laden with newly
washed clothing stretched from each
story across the narrow court. More
than thousand people were out on
the balconies, painting for breath and
revelling in the melody OF the accor-
deon. Again the young man who
agitated the ACCORDION held his hat,
and once more shower of pennies
came down like mamma from the sky.
Then the spectators went out from
the court to the crowded street.
Two months ago an Erening Sun
reporter, on his first visit to Mulberry
Bend, was the guest of Mertie Shay,
one OF the powers of the street. Mer-
tie was u muscular, gentle Italian,
whom all his countrymen regarded
with respect. When the reporter
entered Mertie's place and inquired
for him last evening an Italian woman
with a red awning over her head
lifted her brown hands toward the sky
in u mournful gesture and murmered
something which an American Italian
translated as follows: Poor Mertie
is dead. He has been gone two
months ~
II was singular coincidence that
the ACCORDION player in the rear of the
big building had changed from a
giddy waltz to mournful melody
just as the friends of Mertie Shay, a
block distant, began to tell the repor-
ter OF his demise.
Baxter and Bayard streets were
crowded with people sprawled out on
the sidewalks in neglige attitude and
trying to get breath OF fresh air. Jerry
Mccarthy, the eloquent Irish school
master and one of the characters of
Baxter street, stood on the sidewalk,
clad in a cool linen suit, and dis
coursed about DIR. McGlynn to new
conner. The treets were so crowded
that one had to take the middle of
the pavement to make his way.
Mott street was equally hot and
almost as densely populated. The
reporter dropped in on Mr.. Wo Kee,
one of the powers of Mott street, and
slaked his thirst with cup of rare
tea. The teapot containing the bev-
erage was soaking in pot of water,
and the dainty teacups were resting in
a pan full of Croton water. Mr.. Wo
Kee took the teapot from its resting
place, filed two lit e cups from it and
treated his guests to the most delicate
and least dangerous drink known
to men.
Then the visitors found another di-
version. Mr.. Wo KEGS partner has a
boy 32 months old. The little shaver,
dressed in a cool white frock and very
light white trousers, entered the room,
and at once became boss of the pre-
misses. His black eyes, that cleaned
through eyelids cut bias, danced with
glee when the visitors gave him two
nickels, and then he walked over to
the big brown paper day-book that all
China men keep for a record of their
commercial transactions, and entered
up the ten cents donation with rare
skill and reckless waste of ink.
The boy had no queue, but an elder
iy Chinaman, who was on intimate
terms with him, declared that he will
have at least the foundation for one
two years hence.
The reporter kissed little "Ah Sid,
the Chinese Kid" goodby, and then
went out on chatham square to see
how people were spending the hot
night. The men with great tin boilers
beside them were selling hot corn.
When customer made a purchase
they annointed the corn with butter,
sprinkled it with salt and pepper, and
handed it to the consumer, with an
elaborate flourish. A great many con-
sumers, who seemed to have no fear
of cholera, ate the corn regardless of
consequences.
At midnight the crowd on Mulberry
Bend had left the street and found
shelter in the crowded quarters of the
big tenements. The legs of sleeping
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